Apparatuses of the aforementioned kind are frequently used together with a filling machine for introducing sausage meat into tubular cases (natural or artificial skins). A skin filled with sausage meat is subdivided into portioned sausages which, to the extent possible, are of uniform length. For that purpose, a twist-off location can be produced by rotation of a filling tube of the filling machine. Apparatuses and methods are also known in which portioned sausages are closed at their ends by means of clips. A portioning and/or transport apparatus can be disposed downstream of a filling machine to hold the portioned sausages or skin filled with sausage meat and to further transport same. For example, a string of sausages can be fed to a separating or isolating device disposed downstream in the transport direction. The separated sausages can then be further processed or packaged.
DE 100 13 036 A1 and EP 1 430 779 B1 to the present applicant disclose known portioning and/or transport apparatuses for portioning and/or transporting sausages or similar elongate foodstuff products.
Filling machines may have a rotatable filling tube for producing twist-off locations, which assists with the twisting-off process in that the sausage meat-filled case is prevented from also rotating about its longitudinal axis and, thus, individual twist-off locations can be produced by means of the rotatable filling tube. As is known, conveyor devices in the form of belt or chain conveyors are used for that purpose, such conveyor devices have circulating endless belts or chains which come into contact with the filled skin or a sausage and which prevent the sausages from turning during the twisting-off process and further convey them.
During operation, the process is monitored by an operator. The operator generally pays attention to trouble-free operation and reacts when faults occur. For example, an operator pays attention to ensuring that skins to be filled are always in readiness and the twisting-off process and transport of the sausages takes place properly and without disturbance. If the sausage skin splits, the process has to be interrupted and re-started.
In that respect, visual observation plays a particular part, particularly in the region of the portioning and transport apparatus. In that respect, there is a need for improvement.